Futile
by Evil Asch
Summary: Jack and Capt. Hart have a conversation before Jack heads to a certain Welsh pub. Story set after COE and directly before the audio drama 'The House of the Dead'.
1. Stay

"Did you love her? Really?" Captain Jack Harkness asked.

"Sure." Captain John Hart replied dark eyes glittering.

Jack sighed and glanced askance at his one-time lover sometimes nemesis.

"John –"

"You loved Eye-Candy, right?"

Hart felt a small seed of satisfaction and jealousy at the pain that flickered over Jack's face at the reference to his dead lover. Hart noted Jack physically tense, his fists clench as he contained his rage at Hart's words.

"Well, that's one kind of love, what we had, in that time loop? S'another." Hart said flippantly and drew a long pull from the bottle held loosely in his right hand.

"Which was it?" Jack insisted.

"Does it matter?"

Jack thought about that, about all the miles, the death, and the vast sea of time between then and now.

"Yes it does."

"I cared about her Jack, I did, but I had to rob her, if I didn't I'd've been killed and her next." Jack said fiercely.

"You killed her."

"Yeah I did. I'd do it again too. Once you would've too. Kill or be killed Jack." Hart said accusingly and sneered at the taller man. Jack snatched the bottle from Hart and took a mouthful of the expensive liquor, holding it and tasting it for a moment before swallowing.

"I want you off this planet Hart."

"I want you to go with me."

"Why would I?"

"What? You'd prefer to stay _here_? This place is a bloody graveyard Jack, Gray is dead your whole team is dead except your little girlfriend in the tight pants. Oh wait she's preggers isn't she? Think she'll leave him for you? Now that she's got his brat in her? What, _exactly_, is there here for you?"

Jack was silent, glowering at John.

"Your daughter? The one whose son you murdered for the greater good? She returning any calls? You get any Christmas cards?" Hart laughed coldly.

Jack felt a sudden primitive urge to shatter the bottle and drive it into Hart's smirking face. Perhaps realizing he'd gone too far Hart got to his feet and slowly approached Jack.

"I'm not trying to hurt you – well, not _only_ that – it's true Jack there _is_ nothing left for you here." Hart said drawing close to the tall immortal, slipping his arms around Jack's waist, under his long coat.

"Come with me Jack, we'll see the universe, properly." He whispered pressing close.

Jack felt his gorge rise, the acid sting of bile in the back of his throat, his arms thrust out and levered Hart off of him.

"No." Jack gritted through a clenched jaw, eyes looking away from Hart.

"Do you hate me that much?" Hart asked. He sounded raw, hurt.

"No, I hate _me_ that much." Jack hissed.

Hart looked puzzled then glanced away from Jack and down toward the city they were looming over. Always a fan of drama Hart had chosen the location, a reminder of how things had ended the last time the two had enjoyed a rooftop chat.

"You're such a bloody martyr Jack there are worse men out there y'know." A petulant jealous tone colored Hart's complaint, a sense of disappointment at not being noticed and appreciated for his own dark deeds.

"I love you Jack, that's never changed." Hart said tiredly after a few silent seconds passed. He gently pried the bottle from Jack's hand and flung it out over the city. Listening as it crashed against the ground out of sight.

"Just go." Jack said wearily.

"Make me." Hart shot back turning on his heel and glaring at Jack, a challenge in his stance.

"There's nothing for you here!" Jack shouted in anguish.

"There's you Jack, there's always you." Hart said softly eyes hungry.

"I don't even know what I am any more –" Jack's tone was bleak.

"I'll remind you, there's an entire universe out there ripe for the picking –" Hart whispered intently.

"No, not again." Jack said closing his eyes on temptation and a past of shame.

"Then what Jack? Suicide? Bit of a challenge given your 'condition'" Hart snarled beyond frustrated.

He reached for Jack again, this time Jack slapped Hart's hand away then closed in and gripped Hart by the front of his colorful military jacket.

"No." It was more of a plea than a command.

John kissed him silencing him and for a moment, the briefest of heartbeats, Jack returned it. Then Jack broke the embrace, turned to walk away.

"Not like this Jack!" Hart pleaded hurrying after Jack. Jack paused in his tracks and looked at Hart, Hart's face suddenly that of the young Time Agent Jack had known so well and for so long a hundred lifetimes ago.

_If you go, if you break now you could be happy, he's mortal it won't be long, a few decades and then…_ he thought as Hart reached for him again.

"I'm sorry John, I've got an appointment with an old friend." Jack said with a ghost of his old smile and moved for the door slipping away from Hart's grasp.

Hart watched him go, the familiar devastation and rage closing in on him.

"Jack –"

"I'm sorry John but this is one appointment I have to keep, the last one." Jack said as he opened the door and looked back at his former lover.

John Hart watched the steel security door close behind Jack and swore to himself, swore that one day Jack Harkness would remember what it cost to hurt John Hart.


	2. Plans

The limitless cosmos filled with all the wonder and horror a human mind could comprehend and more. Rich with vast resources and opportunities, source of hope and despair for trillions of beings. It lay glittering before him. Exposing itself like a back alley prostitute, available for exploitation at the right price.

John Hart knew that price, had paid it with heart and soul and a song on his lips. Until Jack Harkness – stupid name – had crashed into his life and slipped out of it again.

Jack bloody Harkness and his bloody change of heart, his decision to love that mewling pedantic coffee boy instead of John Hart. The sheer gall of it burned in Hart's chest, even now, all these lifetimes and light years later.

But the time had come for John to regain his honor. Gray had paved the way with his depravity and hatred but John had worked out the rest. He would return to that fascinating world and reclaim Harkness for himself.

Whether Jack liked it or not.


	3. Runaway

Jack Harkness watched his team with cool indifferent eyes.

Gwen and Rex were bickering over a crate of weapons still packed in preservative grease. Snatches of their conversation drifted to him. Though his thoughts were drifting through long eons past and the many faces of the dead.

"Jack?" Gwen called again.

Jack was leaning against the railing of a catwalk that rimmed the hangar they had claimed as their new temporary headquarters.

"Jack are you even listening?" She snapped.

He shifted his gaze to her but didn't otherwise move.

"I'm always listening."

"Well?"

"I'm going out." He said and turned on his heel. He left via an emergency exit at one end of the catwalk that lead to a steel fire escape on the exterior of the building.

Gwen set her jaw and glanced at Rex. He held up his hands defensively apparently conceding the point of their argument.

"He's _your_ best buddy."

"Shut up."

Gwen tried to follow Jack but was greeted with the echoing buzz of his motorbikes fading engine as she exited the hangar. She set her jaw and folded her arms.

"What would you say if you could catch him?" Rex asked as he followed her.

"That's he's being an ass." She growled.

"Right, and that would achieve what? Look he's working some shit out. Just give him time."

"Every time you open your mouth lately Rex I want to throw you off something."

"Go for it, not like I'll die." He said bitterly.

Jack let the wind tear at him, his coat flowing behind him like a cloak. The road was deserted and filled with hairpin turns and sudden drops, sharp corners with sheer cliffs threatening. He downshifted and hugged the gas tank grinning into the wind.

Sometimes the only way to feel alive was to be nearly dead.

He thought of his brief life of mortality before setting the Miracle right. The bartender and the despairing call to Gwen. He hadn't realized how much he relied on his curse to keep him together. Now that he knew how fragile and weak he really was, how needy, it had shaken him deeply. His sense of self, the cavalier hero, the ruthless fist when needed…had been wiped away. At the end all he could wonder was how Ianto- his latest truest and most recently slaughtered- love would view the man he was without immortality.

Would Ianto have loved that man? Selfish, weak, despairing…

He increased his speed again, moving so quickly now that he couldn't see clearly. The road wound through a vast tract of land once leased to the state anonymously purchased by a shell company on Jack's behalf. It was in the heart of the American West. After the events of the invasion of the 456 he wasn't confident in the British government's cooperation. He knew where he stood in the U.S., alone. No gray area.


	4. Seeking

Killing would bring Jack to him. Yes, killing in just the right way, with just enough of the John Hart flare…did he want it that way? Did he want the vengeful Jack?

He flexed his strong hands with their clever long fingers so good at death and thought. He wanted jack to love him again. Jack was far from innocent himself, which, John decided, made him more sensitive to acts of evil.

He grinned like a child and spun on one heel in place. So, no killing, or wait…no _unnecessary_ killing. After all when Gray had held his reins he had exacted a terrible toll on this planet. Still, that didn't mean he had to lie down and die should some earthling creature decide to take it.

"Rule one, no unnecessary murders." He grinned to himself. His wrist band was bleeting and chirping at him. He frowned at it and flipped it open and stretched his mouth in an inhuman caricature of a grin of childish delight.

"Found you." He sang out and typed something in to the wristband then vanished. The cows in the field he had been standing in stared at one another for a long moment then resumed grazing and mulling their cud. The behavior of humanoids was beyond their understanding and thus of little long term interest.

Jack arrived on a vast expanse of cracked and weed infested concrete. He frowned at it then looked to the horizon. To his right was a smear he decided must be a hill of some kind, probably wooded. Ahead was a squat vast lump of gray concrete and steel. It felt decrepit and sad rather than menacing. He raised his head and inhaled deeply.

There, the faintest trace of that beloved scent. Overlaying it were two other scents. He recognized the stink of Jack's infatuation, that loud delightfully vicious woman with the warm lips. But…something else, someone else…

He inhaled again this time with his mouth slightly open tasting the air as he drew it in. The other was Jacklike, but not Jack. Male, adult but not old…and…there the acid taint he had missed in Jack…they were the same. Both immortal.

Rage shot through him, rippling through his muscles and bones filling him with strength and hate. Jack had found another that wasn't him. An immortal.

His jaws snapped shut and eyes opened. He radiated malicious loathing, ached to wipe this new rival from existence. But wait…was he a rival? Couldn't he perhaps be an ally?

The rage crested and settled as logic and cunning kicked in.

Gwen was there, she wouldn't trust him of course. Still, it gave him a place to start.


	5. Old Frenemies

The crash was inevitable. He saw the hairpin at the last second and tried to correct but had stupidly or deliberately let the vehicle's speed outstrip his ability to maintain control. As the bike hit the asphalt, as his leg was shredded by the road surface and his arm broken by the impact ant twisting force of the bike's inertia he thought, is this all there is? Different types of agony until the universe ends?

Then his body and bike shot off the road entirely and hung for a cartoonish instant suspended in the air until gravity took notice and together man and machine plunged to a messy end at the base of the cliff.

"Jack should be back by now." Gwen sighed looking at her watch.

"Just go home Gwen, he's in a snit he'll be back eventually."

"The last time he left in a snit it was months before he came back Rex, months and an alien invasion."

"Well times your problem now sweetheart." He snorted.

She did something that resulted in Rex nursing a broken nose on his ass on the cold concrete.

"Up and at 'em sunshine." She said and tossed a steel box of rifle rounds at him. The weight knocked him off balance and he fell backwards striking his skull on the concrete.

"Fuck Gwen." He hissed.

"You'll heal Mr. Immortality." She snarled.

Distantly they heard gun shots. Gwen kicked the ammunition off Rex's lap and raced out of the hangar not caring if he followed. As she ran out she snatched up an MP5 rifle and spare clip. She thumbed the safety checked the breach and paused outside the hangar to check for the destination of the shots. Rex joined her seconds later looking disheveled and pissed off.

She listened intently then heard another shot at last. She swiveled to face it's source – the shape of the landscape around the hangar could do strange things to sounds – and was rewarded with the sight of a human figure running pell mell toward her.

She raised the weapon and Rex followed suit.

Wordlessly they watched the figure grow larger. It paused twice to fire behind it then continued racing flat out toward them.

"Don't shoot!" It shouted as it finally grew closer enough to become distinct.

Gwen's eyes widened then narrowed and she shouldered her weapon and took a bead on the figure. Not pausing to question her Rex followed suit.

The figure was a man, he had dark hair was on the tall side of average wore a ridiculous red jacket with fancy doilies or piping on the front – Rex couldn't tell which – which was unfastened revealing a light colored undershirt knee high boots, dark blue pants and a shiny space gun. Rex assumed it was a space gun because there was no way in hell a person like that had not come from space. As he grew closer Gwen's expression grew grimmer and Rex realized the stranger had a sword hanging off his hip.

"Stop right there!" Rex snarled. The man did. He was about fifty feet from the two torchwood operatives and their very loaded very unsafetied weapons.

"John bloody Hart, what hell have you brought down on us this time?" Gwen hissed. Rex kept his eyes on Hart but found Gwen's tone incredibly disturbing, whoever this guy was she wanted him dead yesterday.

"Gwen who the hell is this?" Rex asked as the stranger bent double trying to catch his breath.

"He killed Owen and Tosh." She snapped.

"Gray did that! I didn't have any choice." Hart said between breaths as he straightened.

"I don't care." She hissed and fired a shot at him. He yelped and jumped backwards.

"Next one won't miss. What the hell are you still doing here?"

"For your information I left and came back. This really is a great little planet, so many interesting things to see and…do." He grinned wolfishly at Rex.

"You're nice, who're you?"

"Rex Matheson."

"Oooh I like that, I like how he said that –" He broke off as Gwen winged him. He let out a surprised cry and clapped his left hand to his right shoulder, a blossom of blood seeped onto his white undershirt and between his fingers.

"Tell me why you're here and who you were shooting at. Now." Gwen hissed.

"I didn't have a choice, I had to come here, I have to see Jack. I don't know who I was shooting at, maybe no one. I was being chased and couldn't be sure they didn't follow me here."

"He's gonna bleed out Gwen." Rex observed.

"Good."

"Where's Jack?"

"Out."

"Just…let me stay long enough to talk to him, please?" He asked wincing and adjusting his grip on the wound in his shoulder.

"Strip."

"Oh any other time love –"

"Strip or I shoot you in the knee."

"Gwen –"

"He's carrying more weapons than a squad of Navy Seals Rex."

"Strip." Rex ordered.

"Do you want pelvic thrusts with that?"


	6. Prisoner

Once John had stripped Gwen handed her weapon to Rex, who slung it over his shoulder, and carefully approached him. The wound in his shoulder was ugly, still free flowing blood. She picked up Hart's dirty undershirt and felt it for hidden weapons. Fairly sure though not confident it was she tore it into strips and approached Hart again.

"I loved that shirt."

"It didn't love you back. Drop your hand." Gwen ordered. He sighed and lowered his left hand. The wound bled faster. Gwen Pressed a portion of the shirt to the entrance wound, there wasn't an exit wound, and used the rest to bind the compress in place.

She carefully collected his clothing and armament and nodded at Rex.

"March." Rex growled. Feeling faint headed and with a fire churning in his shoulder John complied.

Inside the hangar sat an iron cage with a wooden stool. They hadn't needed to use it since it was built. Gwen ordered hart inside.

"Now what?" Rex asked after securing the cage.

"Find Jack." Gwen sighed.

"Who the hell is this guy Gwen?"

"I told you."

"Yeah and I read the report, the redacted report."

"We don't have time for this okay? We need to find Jack before John gets an infection or passes out. There's the slightest chance he's being sincere."

"So? So he sincerely thinks he needs Jack's help so what? Gwen he killed half your old team. He's bad news."

"That's why I shot him. He's half-conscious and locked in a cage."

"Then why are you still afraid of him?"

"Go find Jack."

She was afraid of him for many reasons. The power he had over Jack, the way that near fatal kiss had felt, the fact that even now she knew he was armed, his fractured mind and unpredictability…mostly because some part of her wanted to unlock the cage and properly treat his wound, tuck him into bed, smooth those dark curls and tell him it would be better in the morning.

There was something vulnerable about him, even when he wasn't shot, naked, and caged. He knew it and was more than happy to use it to his advantage. He seemed to ricochet from one deep intense emotion to the next; there was no equilibrium or calm in him.

It was intoxicating.

"Gwen?"

"What?"

"You sure you're okay alone with him?"

"I'll be fine –"

"I don't think so. Look, I've narrowed Jack's location. Why don't you go get him? He'll listen to you about Hart."

She chewed her lip.

"Fine. Stay in touch." She sighed.

Jack sat on the side of the road looking at stars. He was filthy and his clothes were wrecked but he was smiling gently as he gazed at the endless history of the universe displayed before him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Gwen snapped from the darkness.

"Admiring the night sky."

"We have a problem."

"I know I've been distant lately –"

"I'm not talking about your mood swings Jack, Captain John bloody Hart is back."

"What did he do?"

She helped him to his feet.

"Nothing yet, he claims he needs your help. Someone he hurt when he was working Gray is after him."

"Where is he?"

"At the hangar, I uh, shot him."

"Dead?"

"Not yet."


	7. Fever

Rex stared at Hart. The man looked bad, he was gray, breathing shallowly, and had bled through the unsanitary make shift bandage. He wanted to check his vitals but knew the whole thing could be a fake out. Or even if Hart was sick he could still fight.

He tapped his Bluetooth and waited.

"Gwen? What's your ETA he's looking bad."

"Five minutes tops Rex do not go in to that cage without back up."

"Rex, listen to me, he's incredibly dangerous –"

"Yeah yeah I got it Jack. If he's dead or in sepsis when you get your ass back here it's on you."

"Worried about me? That's so sweet." Hart rasped.

"Let's get something straight you're a deranged murdered. I don't care about your past or justifications. You killed people."

"We're not that different. I can smell it." Hart chuckled hoarsely.

"Whatever psycho."

"Do you trust him?"

"Who?"

"Jack Harkness. Or whatever he's calling himself."

"Yeah I do."

"Why? Is immortality the gift you stupid people used to think it was? Hmm?"

"The hell do you know about it?"

"You're all so small and frail. Trapped on one little world at the dark end of a single galaxy. There is so much more out there."

"Yeah? Then why'd you come back here? Why does Jack? Why does every goddamn horrible thing in the galaxy end up here?"

"Such ego. They don't you pathetic vermin. The horrors and wonders that lie beyond this planet are beyond your capability to imagine." He broke off coughing and fell silent.

"Whatever wonder boy, how's that shoulder? Seems like a lowly human weapon works just fine."

John was silent, his breathing shallow and labored. Rex relaxed and checked the time. Any second Jack and Gwen should be back.

Gwen came in first looked at John suspiciously and nodded at Rex.

"Jack's getting cleaned up."

"Jack, dearest Jack. All the universe loves Jack but what does he love?" Hart sing songed and laughed.

"How long has he been like this?" Jack asked.

"Half an hour or so."

"If it's an infection it's moving fast." Jack sighed.

"I'll go in, clean him up –" Gwen volunteered.

"No, you're the only one he can take hostage." Rex interjected.

Jack nodded. "I'll go in."

"Oooh Jack my lovely Jack going to save me?"

Jack ignored the jibes and retrieved a first aid kit.

John's skin was clammy when Jack took his pulse.

"Saving me?" Hart asked.

"Stop talking." Jack sighed and tugged the bandage away. The wound looked raw, a spider web of dark lines crawled from the wound to the surrounding flesh.

"Did you remove the bullet Gwen?" Jack asked.

"No."

"It looks like blood poisoning."

"Good." Gwen snarled.

"Normally agreed but if he ran here then whatever was after him could be coming here too and we have zero intelligence on it."

"Zero intelligence in there, we don't know that he's telling any kind of truth Jack."

"Is it worth the risk?" Rex asked.

"Shut up you don't get a vote."

"So much excitement your little team …" John trailed off as Jack began to examine the wound.

"He needs a hospital. We don't even have anitbioitcs." Jack sighed.

"Jack –"

"I don't like it either Gwen but he's going to die."

"I don't see how that's a bad thing." Gwen said icily.

"Damnit Gwen, put your feelings aside! He could have information on a threat to Earth or at least to the people in this area. Do you really want your revenge to cost innocent lives?" Rex snapped.

She glared at him and back at John.

"Fine, where the hell do we take him?"

"The nearest hospital is an hour away."

"We don't need a hospital just antibiotics and IVs." Jack mused.

"We can do that there's the emergency clinic – "

"Right, of course. Gwen get the car, Rex help me get him dressed."

"Oh okay so that seems like more of a solo operation because –"

"Rex, we don't have time for your shit." Jack growled.

"Fine because we have all the time in the world for yours." Rex grumbled and entered the cage.

By the time Gwen pulled their SUV around and opened the rear Jack and Rex were dragged John out of the hangar. They loaded him up and Jack stayed in the rear with him while Rex road up front with Gwen.

"So just one question fellas how do you plan to get in to the clinic?"

"Crowbar and cash." Jack said over the roar of the engine.

"Yay so felonies all 'round then?" She asked pressing the gas pedal to the floor.

"We'll worry about it later."

"That's Jack speak for he'll snog the arresting officer and we'll all go get dessert." Gwen said to Rex. Rex snorted and hung on for dear life as Gwen took a corner at far too high a speed.

"Hey how about we play the 'let's all get there alive' game Gwen? What do you say?" Rex growled.


	8. Options

Hart made a rapid recovery. Within a week he was able to stand and walk. Still caged but content he watched and listened to the new Torchwood and Jack, mostly Jack. Drinking him in, his presence fortifying and intoxicating.

"Send him away." Gwen said softly.

Jack glanced from her to Rex.

"He's obviously lying and he's healthy enough to travel. You don't trust him and she wants to kill him."

"He could be useful." Jack suggested.

"He could get us all killed." Gwen growled.

"No. He's…changed."

"No one changes that much Jack, you didn't." Gwen sighed.

He looked irritated then flashed a grin at her.

"You never knew me in my bad old days." He pointed out.

"Maybe but I've dealt with Hart before his change of heart and after. He may be less dangerous now but he is still absolutely a threat to us and probably the whole bloody planet. If he's got his back to a wall he'll choose betrayal when it's offered. We already know that."

"Gwen after what Gray went through…I don't think John had much of a choice." Jack said looking over at the cage where their subject appeared to be sleeping.

"So we can keep him caged indefinitely, let him out and keep him around, let him out and kick him out, let him out and kick him off the planet or?" Rex asked.

"Put a bullet in him." Gwen said looking Jack in the eyes. He looked away.

"That would be the safest option." He agreed.

"Safest and the most brutal." Gwen agreed.

"Wait, don't we get to vote? You can't unkill most people. Yeah he's a dangerous person but you let him go the first time because no one died and he basically ran away. You let him go the second time because he was a victim and he helped you stop Gray in the end. All he did this time was show up." Rex pointed out.

"We aren't going to kill him." Jack sighed. Rex wasn't sure if he was relieved or frustrated.

"Then what?" Gwen asked sharply.

Jack was studying his wristband.

"We can let him out. I can monitor him with this." He tapped the wristband.

"Monitor?" Gwen scoffed.

"He's here because he wants something from us. He could have come to Earth and left again without us ever realizing he'd visited. Why didn't he?" Jack pointed out.

"So you want to give him enough rope to hang himself?" Gwen suggested.

"Could be a double feint Jack, could be rope is what he wants."

"Any better ideas?" He asked tiredly.

"That are morally irreproachable…no." Gwen admitted.

Rex shrugged.

"Okay then." Jack said and squared his shoulders.

John kept his pretense of dozing up until he could smell Jack's distinct subtle scent. His eyes opened and he sat up.

"It is lovely to see you." He crooned.

Jack was holding John's wristband to his own and typing on his own. After a few seconds a sequence of low tones rang out and Jack offered John's wristband to Hart.

"Here's the deal. You put this on, you never take it off. You stay in sight and behave yourself. You get out of the cage. You screw up, betray us, threaten us in any way you go back in the cage or worse."

"Ooooh jewelry! You spoil me." John said and thrust his wrist out. Jack fastened the wristband in place and waited, it powered on and emitted another tone.

"I would ask for your word –"

"You have it." John said no hint of teasing or foreplay in his voice. He rose and walked to the door. Jack's hand hesitated over the lock then thrust forward inserting the key and twisting it. The lock snapped open and the door swung out a few inches.

John stepped through, rolled his shoulders, inhaled deeply and with lightning speed slipped forward and kissed Jack, leaning into it.

Jack froze, started to return the embrace then firmly pushed John away.

"So, do I get a cool codename now?" John asked.


End file.
